GUIDE TO THE INFANTRY WEAPONS OF VALKYRIA CHRONICLES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- version 2.1 - March 1, 2010 by SkunkHunter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPOILER WARNING: Folks differ on what they consider a spoiler, so in an abundance of caution, I’m saying there may be spoilers. There are no plot elements disclosed, but I do list every weapon you can get, including those that are awards and those you can capture and I tell you where to get them. So, if you don’t want to hear that, don’t read on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [TOC] TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [CRV] - Credits and Version History [COM] - General Comments [INT] - Introduction [SCE] - Scouts and Engineers [SHT] - Shock Troopers [SNP] - Snipers [LNC] - Lancers [CLO] - Closing Remarks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [CRV] CREDITS AND VERSION HISTORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A huge thank you to Busard, for mastering the Expert Skirmishes (referred to pre-release as "Extra Hard" mode) and being generous enough to share the information relating to the weapons unlocked for each Skirmish and what their statistics are. Also for catching an error in version 2.0 on the clip size of the ZM MP X3(g). I also want to thank the folks on the Gamefaqs(R) Board who have kept the VC Board going with interesting challenges, debates, tips, and plenty of help for folks new to the game. You've all enhanced my enjoyment of this game and your efforts only help in making the game more popular. Thank you all very much. If you want to reach me about something in this Guide, my email is arthurmhor@aol.com. Version 1.0 - April 16, 2009 was the original FAQ Version 1.1 - April 20, 2009 I revised an error I made on Lancer reloading, included the Aim column for the MGs that I mistakenly left out, and added the weapon information for the weapons available in two of the first set of DLC - Extra Hard Skirmishes and Behind Her Blue Flame. Version 2.0 - February 28, 2010 I added in the weapons available from the latest DLC - Challenges of the Edy Detachment, and cleaned things up a bit, trying to make it a bit easier to use. I also made edits based upon my experience playing the game and in light of threads I've seen on the Board, trying to make this Guide more useful to newer players in particular. Version 2.1 - March 1, 2010 I corrected the clip size for the ZM MP X3(g) after Busard pointed out that I had the clip size wrong in v2.0. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [COM] COMMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I really enjoy this game, and I hope you will, too. I know of no source (other than playing through the game) that accurately compiles the data on various weapons that the infantry units use in it, however. So, I made my own. I wanted to put everything into a single table for each weapon type, but I couldn’t make that fit. So, each weapon type is broken into two tables. The first table lists the weapons and pertinent statistics, and the second table explains how you can get that weapon, when it becomes available, and what it costs, in terms of DCT, to develop it (for those you can develop). Those of you who have a spreadsheet program or even word processing software that handles tables should be able to copy and paste it into a single more useful table that you can also sort any way you like. I sorted the tables by time, in terms of when each weapon becomes available, which I found also to be useful for comparing different upgrades that you can get. You’ll see lots of topics on GameFaqs(R) about what weapons are “best,” including which development paths to pursue, etc. I've offered my opinions on some of that below not to preach a particular philosophy or claim to knowing the "best" way to play this game (there isn't one, in my view), but more to hopefully help newer players understand what the trade-offs are and why at least one person thinks particular weapons and/or development paths are suited to a given play style. I hope you find this guide a useful tool to enhance your enjoyment of the game. I know I'm not alone in feeling that trying to get an A ranking (or S in Japan) on all missions on your first run-through isn't advisable for lots of reasons. Even if you are a completionist, please know that you will have to play the game through twice, and start a third game, to get all of the medals. When you start your second game, you will get a New Game+, which means you start with your troops trained at the level they finished at, with all of their equipment as well. And in your second and subsequent playthroughs, you can replay any Chapter you have reached as many times as you like. That makes getting A ranks on your second playthrough FAR easier. So, it is my perhaps vain hope that this Guide will also encourage you to consider playing through the first time without worrying unduly about getting A ranks. At least, you'll see how much better the equipment you'll have in your second playthrough will be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [INT] INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in the tables should be readily-understandable to folks playing the game. If you’re new or fairly new, the “Aim” statistic reflects how big the aiming circle is, which shows where your shot could potentially hit (if you miss hitting right in the crosshairs). A is the best (smallest); E is the worst. For weapons that aren’t area of effect, aiming is a big deal. You want your Scouts, Snipers, Engineers, and Shock Troopers to hit folks in the head most times, and the more accurately you do that, the easier it is to kill enemies. The Aim and Range statistics also dictate how far away from an enemy you can do that, which might spare you or at least reduce the amount of interception fire you’re subjected to. Aiming and range are important for your Lancers as well. The further they can be from a tank or turret and still hit it, the better. Early on, accuracy can be frustrating. That's based on several factors. First, each character has a personal accuracy, which goes up as the class level. Level 1 characters have accuracy from 0 (no kidding) to about 16. That stat triples or quadruples as they level up. Busard posted a thread that gives damage calculations and the stats (at Level 20) for the characters: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=942165&topic=50848418 Second, the early weapons have poor range and low Aim, meaning the aiming circles are huge unless you're really close. Combined, that means your units are unlikely to make a shot hit in the crosshairs and the area a missed shot might hit is big, meaning a shot that misses the crosshairs will likely miss the head and quite possibly miss altogether. Don't get frustrated. Your units get much more accurate, and so do their weapons. And it's also why I recommend upgrading range and accuracy early on, where you can. “Shots” is how many rounds the unit will fire in a single action (1CP), until and unless they get a potential for double actions or shots, etc. “Ammo” is how many times a unit can fire in a given phase, without somehow being reloaded (by an Engineer or Order). In that field, "Inf." means you have infinite ammunition. “Efct” is an aspect of certain weapons in the game that have a poison that will affect the unit hit with it. Later on, the Imperial troops will frequently be using these weapons to shoot your folks, and they’re a real pain. Although you can develop your own, as you’ll see, I think they’re pretty useless. "Def Dwn" for rifles decreases the effected unit's defense, but you should just eliminate the unit and/or destroy its cover. “Atk Dwn” for your MGs decreases the Attack power of the unit hit, but I recommend using the T-MAG and just killing them; that REALLY decreases their attack power. Similarly, you can develop “Aim Dwn” for your Sniper, but you should be using your Sniper to hit folks in the head for a OHKO, in which case how they would have aimed if they were still alive becomes moot. Finally, you can develop “HP Dwn” for the flamethrower, which would cause the unit hit to lose HP if and when it moved during its Phase. Although that’s very annoying when some enemy ShockT hits YOU with it, you should use your Flamethrower to burn folks up completely. The ones you can develop and/or capture do that in one burn usually, and sometimes two. “How” indicates how you get the weapon, which is one of three ways: “R&D” means you have to develop it at the R&D Facility at Headquarters; “Award” means that you can get it as an award from Princess Cordelia in the Audience Hall (accessed through Headquarters); and “Ace” means that you get the weapon by killing the enemy Ace wielding it. You’ll see a lot of topics on Awards. Based upon my playthroughs, awards are pretty random. You get them for achieving a high rank on the relevant Chapter(s). It seems that A rank gets you 3-4 types of weapons, B rank gets 2-3, and C rank 1-2, but even that seems a bit unpredictable to me. What weapons you get is random. If you save after a battle and then go to the Audience Hall, you will be able to reload if you don’t like what the Princess gives you; she’ll give you something different if you reload and go back to her again. Finally, the number of each type of weapon she gives you also varies a bit, in no way I’ve been able to predict. So, if somebody has the Award thing figured out, please let me know. “Development” simply lists what the R&D development is that you need to pay for to get the upgrade. Some information on that: when you get an upgrade in R&D, the relevant troops in your squad who are not equipped with a particular Royal or Ace weapon will all automatically be equipped with whatever the computer thinks is the latest and greatest version that you have. That’s fine for non-branching development paths, but it can create problems when you have a branching development tree (like for Rifles) and you simply buy all upgrades that are available. For example, you might buy upgrades for your Shock Troopers of Firepower Boost 5, Added Effect 5, and Clip Size Up 5. The computer will equip your troops with Added Effect 5 guns (the MAJ-X M2), so you need to go to the Squad Barracks and ensure your troops have the weapons you actually want if you upgrade evenly. That brings up a question as to whether, if you do not buy an upgrade when it initially becomes available, does it delay development of the next upgrade below it. For example, if you delay buying Firepower Boost 5 and Added Effect 5 (perhaps in part because you don’t want your Shock Troopers somehow getting equipped with Added Effects weapons when you want them equipped with Clip Size Up ones), does it delay the time you could develop Firepower Boost 6 and Added Effect 6? The answer is NO, it does not. I’ve tested it. You can always go back later and buy all the upgrades. So I recommend you upgrade the path you're interested in using, and save the others until you want to buy everything at the end to get the medal for that (Excellence in Armament). Probably enough introduction, so . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [SCE] SCOUTS AND ENGINEERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIFLES, GRENADES, AND RIFLE GRENADES Your Scouts and Engineers can use the same rifles (I’m not saying that they should, but they can). Like the MGs and Sniper Rifles, the Rifles that you can capture have poor range and accuracy, but much higher damage. If you're using Scouts to get head shots from beyond the range of enemy ShockT's, or even Scouts, the Royals and what you can develop are better, in my opinion. But if you're in confined quarters and/or using a Scout to defend a base or a tank with interception fire, the Imperial Rifles from the DLC are awesome. To make everything fit, I abbreviated “Gallian” as “Gal’n” in some cases. Rifles don’t have area effects, so I didn’t use a column for Area (as you’ll see in their stats if you look in the game). Here are the Rifle statistics: Rifles Aim Range vsPers vsArmor Efct Shots Ammo -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gallian-1 C 350 17 40 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 1(g) E 180 36 46 - 5 Inf. Gallian-2 C 350 22 40 - 5 Inf. Gallian-3 C 360 23 45 - 5 Inf. Gallian-4 C 360 24 45 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 2(g) D 180 39 51 - 5 Inf. Gallian-S1 C 380 25 50 - 5 Inf. Gallian-X1 D 350 20 48 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gallian-A1 C 360 26 51 - 5 Inf. Gallian-S2 B 380 26 52 - 5 Inf. Gallian-X2 D 350 21 48 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gallian-A2 C 360 28 53 - 5 Inf. Gallian-S3 B 380 27 52 - 5 Inf. Gallian-X3 D 350 22 48 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gallian-A3 C 360 30 53 - 5 Inf. Gallian-1R B 350 32 60 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 3(g) D 180 43 54 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-S10 B 400 27 56 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-X10 D 360 25 54 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gal'n-A10 C 380 34 57 - 7 Inf. Gallian-3R B 350 35 62 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 4(g) D 200 51 60 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-S11 B 400 29 56 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-X11 D 350 26 54 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gal'n-A11 C 380 36 58 - 7 Inf. Gal'n-S12 B 400 31 56 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-X12 D 360 27 54 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gal'n-A12 C 380 38 58 - 7 Inf. Gal'n-S1R B 350 37 64 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 5(g) C 220 60 65 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-S10R A 350 40 67 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-S20 A 420 40 57 - 5 Inf. Gal'n-X20 D 380 35 55 DefDwn 5 Inf. Gal'n-A20 C 400 42 60 - 7 Inf. Gal'n-S20R A 350 45 70 - 5 Inf. ZM Kar 6(g) D 220 72 70 - 7 Inf. ZM Kar 7(g) D 220 92 95 - 7 Inf. ZM Kar 8(g) D 220 100 95 - 7 Inf. ZM Kar 9(g) D 225 105 100 - 7 Inf. Here's how you acquire the Rifles available in VC (please note that "Ex. Sk." stands for Expert Skirmish, and "Edy Sk." stands for Edy Detachment Challenge Skirmish, both of which are available as downloadable content, or DLC): Rifles How? When Development R&D cost -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gallian-1 Auto At start ZM Kar 1(g) Ace Ch. 2 Gallian-2 R&D Ch. 3 Accuracy Boost 1 500 Gallian-3 R&D Ch. 4 Accuracy Boost 2 2000 Gallian-4 R&D Ch. 6 Accuracy Boost 3 4500 ZM Kar 2(g) Ace Ch. 7 Gallian-S1 R&D Ch. 8 Accuracy Boost 4 8000 Gallian-X1 R&D Ch. 8 Added Effect 4 8000 Gallian-A1 R&D Ch. 8 Firepower Boost 4 8000 Gallian-S2 R&D Ch. 9 Accuracy Boost 5 12500 Gallian-X2 R&D Ch. 9 Added Effect 5 12500 Gallian-A2 R&D Ch. 9 Firepower Boost 5 12500 Gallian-S3 R&D Ch. 10 Accuracy Boost 6 18000 Gallian-X3 R&D Ch. 10 Added Effect 6 18000 Gallian-A3 R&D Ch. 10 Firepower Boost 6 18000 Gallian-1R Award Ch.s 10-11 ZM Kar 3(g) Ace Ch. 10(a) Gal'n-S10 R&D Ch. 12 Accuracy Boost 7 24500 Gal'n-X10 R&D Ch. 12 Added Effect 7 24500 Gal'n-A10 R&D Ch. 12 Firepower Boost 7 24500 Gallian-3R Award Ch.s 12-14 ZM Kar 4(g) Ace Ch. 13 Gal'n-S11 R&D Ch. 14 Accuracy Boost 8 32000 Gal'n-X11 R&D Ch. 14 Added Effect 8 32000 Gal'n-A11 R&D Ch. 14 Firepower Boost 8 32000 Gal'n-S12 R&D Ch. 15 Accuracy Boost 9 40500 Gal'n-X12 R&D Ch. 15 Added Effect 9 40500 Gal'n-A12 R&D Ch. 15 Firepower Boost 9 40500 Gal'n-S1R Award Ch. 15 ZM Kar 5(g) Ace Ch. 15(a) Gal'n-S10R Award Ch.s 16-17 Gal'n-S20 R&D Ch. 17 Accuracy Boost 10 50000 Gal'n-X20 R&D Ch. 17 Added Effect 10 50000 Gal'n-A20 R&D Ch. 17 Firepower Boost 10 50000 Gal'n-S20R Award Ch. 18 ZM Kar 6(g) Ace Ex. Sk. 1&7 ZM Kar 7(g) Ace Ex. Sk. 5 ZM Kar 8(g) Ace Ed. Sk. 1 ZM Kar 9(g) Ace Ed. Sk. 4 Scouts and Engineers also use grenades, but a bit differently. Scouts only have 1 grenade per Phase that they can use. Engineers have 3 grenades that they can use. Hence, in the table the indication “S1 / E3,” showing that difference. Note that, similar to Lancers as explained below, Engineers start with 3 grenades but absent being reloaded, they only regain 1 grenade per phase, unless they're in a friendly base (in which case they are fully reloaded). Hence, if you use all three of your Engineer's grenades in one Phase, it will begin the next Phase with only one (unless somehow reloaded). Unlike some of the Lancers, no Engineer has a Potential that can give it an extra round, so reloading must be done by the Resupply order or another Engineer. Another difference between the way Scouts use grenades and the way that Engineers use them is that when your Scouts reach Elite status, they can fire a rifle grenade (Engineers can’t). Rifle grenades just have greater range than normal grenades, as you can see. The stats are: Grenade Aim Range vsPers vsArmor Ammo -------------------------------------------------------------------- B-Type Grenade M1 C 90 250 300 S1 / E3 B-Type Grenade M2 C 90 275 325 S1 / E3 B-Type Grenade M3 C 90 300 350 S1 / E3 B-Type Grenade M4 C 90 350 375 S1 / E3 B-Type Grenade M5 C 90 400 400 S1 / E3 Randgrizer M1 D 250 250 300 1 Randgrizer M2 D 250 275 325 1 Randgrizer M3 D 250 300 350 1 Randgrizer M4 D 250 350 375 1 Randgrizer M5 D 250 400 400 1 As mentioned, only Elite Scouts will have rifle grenades, so that is reflected in the table below. Also, once your Scouts have that ability, they will simply equip the best grenade you’ve developed as their rifle grenade. There is no separate development or cost. Here’s how you obtain the grenades: Grenade How? When? Development R&D cost -------------------------------------------------------------------- B-Type Grenade M1 Auto At start B-Type Grenade M2 R&D Ch. 5 Grenade Upgrade 1 300* B-Type Grenade M3 R&D Ch. 9 Grenade Upgrade 2 1900* B-Type Grenade M4 R&D Ch. 13 Grenade Upgrade 3 5300* B-Type Grenade M5 R&D Ch. 19 Grenade Upgrade 4 11100* Randgrizer M1 Auto Elite Scouts Randgrizer M2 R&D Ch. 5 (if Elite) *comes w/ GU2 M2 Randgrizer M3 R&D Ch. 9 (if Elite) *comes w/ GU3 M3 Randgrizer M4 R&D Ch. 13 (if Elite) *comes w/ GU4 M4 Randgrizer M5 R&D Ch. 19 (if Elite) *comes w/ GU5 M5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [SHT] SHOCK TROOPERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MACHINE GUNS AND FLAMETHROWERS Shock Troopers use Machine Guns. None of their guns have area effects, so I didn’t use a column for Area. Depending upon how you use your ShockTs, I think this is an area where you can, if you have to, skimp on DCT. The enemy Ace MGs are good for close work, and the Royals are decent, too (in fact, the Mags M30R is my favorite, aside from DLC weapons). If and when you upgrade, I like Ammo Clip Up. Having extra shots is nice for single kills, and very useful when you line up a few enemies. Here are the Machine Gun statistics: MG Aim Range vs Pers vs Armor Efct Shots Ammo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mags M1 D 200 20 40 - 20 Inf. Mags M2 D 200 21 40 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 1(g) E 80 31 55 - 20 Inf. Mags M3 D 200 22 45 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 2(g) E 80 33 57 - 20 Inf. Mags M4 D 200 23 45 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M1 D 180 20 47 AtkDwn 15 Inf. Mags M10 D 200 25 50 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 3(g) D 120 35 58 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M2 D 180 21 48 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 1 D 200 21 49 - 25 Inf. Mags M11 D 200 26 51 - 20 Inf. Mags M1R D 200 28 58 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M3 D 180 22 49 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 2 D 200 22 50 - 25 Inf. Mags M12 D 200 27 52 - 20 Inf. Mags M3R D 200 31 59 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M10 D 180 25 51 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 10 D 200 22 52 - 30 Inf. Mags M20 D 200 30 54 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 4(g) D 120 40 59 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M11 D 180 26 52 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 11 D 200 23 53 - 30 Inf. Mags M21 D 200 32 55 - 20 Inf. MagsM10R D 200 33 60 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M12 D 180 27 52 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 12 D 200 25 54 - 30 Inf. Mags M22 D 200 34 56 - 20 Inf. MagsM20R C 220 36 61 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 5(g) D 150 45 60 - 20 Inf. MAJ-X M20 D 180 30 54 AtkDwn 15 Inf. T-MAG 20 D 200 25 56 - 35 Inf. Mags M30 D 200 37 58 - 20 Inf. MagsM30R C 240 40 63 - 20 Inf. ZM MP 6(g) D 150 47 60 - 25 Inf. Ruhm A 540 35 75 - 20 Inf. ZM MPX3(g) E 150 75 60 - 25 Inf. Here’s how you get the Machine Guns (please note that "Ex. Sk." stands for Expert Skirmish, and "Edy Sk." stands for Edy Challenge Skirmish, both of which are available as DLC; separately available as DLC are the "Behind Her Blue Flame" missions, which if you A-rank will unlock the amazing Ruhm, as indicated): MG How? When? Development R&D cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mags M1 Auto At Start Mags M2 R&D Chapter 2 Firepower Boost 1 500 ZM MP 1(g) Ace Chapter 3 Mags M3 R&D Chapter 5 Firepower Boost 2 2000 ZM MP 2(g) Ace Chapter 5 Mags M4 R&D Chapter 7 Firepower Boost 3 4500 MAJ-X M1 R&D Chapter 8 Added Effect 4 8000 Mags M10 R&D Chapter 8 Firepower Boost 4 8000 ZM MP 3(g) Ace Chapter 8(a) MAJ-X M2 R&D Chapter 10 Added Effect 5 12500 T-MAG 1 R&D Ch. 10 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 5 12500 Mags M11 R&D Chapter 10 Firepower Boost 5 12500 Mags M1R Award Chapters 10-11 MAJ-X M3 R&D Chapter 11 Added Effect 6 18000 T-MAG 2 R&D Ch. 11 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 6 18000 Mags M1R R&D Chapter 11 Firepower Boost 6 18000 Mags M3R Award Chapters 12-14 MAJ-X M10 R&D Chapter 13 Added Effect 7 24500 T-MAG 10 R&D Ch. 13 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 7 24500 Mags M20 R&D Chapter 13 Firepower Boost 7 24500 ZM MP 4(g) Ace Chapter 14 MAJ-X M11 R&D Chapter 15 Added Effect 8 32000 T-MAG 11 R&D Ch. 15 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 8 32000 Mags M21 R&D Chapter 15 Firepower Boost 8 32000 MagsM10R Award Chapter 15 MAJ-X M12 R&D Chapter 16 Added Effect 9 40500 T-MAG 12 R&D Ch. 16 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 9 40500 Mags M22 R&D Chapter 16 Firepower Boost 9 40500 MagsM20R Award Chapters 16-17 ZM MP 5(g) Ace Chapter 17 MAJ-X M20 R&D Chapter 18 Added Effect 10 50000 T-MAG 20 R&D Ch. 18 (if Elite) Clip Size Up 10 50000 Mags M30 R&D Chapter 18 Firepower Boost 10 50000 MagsM30R Award Chapter 18 ZM MP 6(g) Ace Ex. Sk. 3 Ruhm A-rank Behind Her Blue Flame DLC ZM MPX3(g) Ace Edy Sk. 5 Once your Shock Troopers reach Elite status, they can equip a flamethrowing attachment on their machine guns. Although it has a short range, it burns everything in an arc when you fire it, and is unaffected by whether an enemy is crouching behind sandbags, hiding in the grass or in other cover. They are therefore great at burning folks out of cover. Aimed relatively low, they will also damage units who duck and evade. Ouch. All Flamethrowers are area of effect weapons, so I left out the “Area” column from the table. Their stats: Flamer Aim Range vsPers vsArmor Efct Shots Ammo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FF-I B 90 130 44 - 1 Inf. FoG 01 B 90 130 46 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-2 B 90 150 50 - 1 Inf. FoG 02 B 90 157 46 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-3 B 90 200 52 - 1 Inf. FoG 03 B 90 185 47 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-4 B 90 250 52 - 1 Inf. VB FW 1(g) B 90 380 60 - 1 Inf. VB FW 2(g) B 90 500 70 - 1 Inf. FoG 04 B 90 212 47 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-5 B 90 300 52 - 1 Inf. FoG 05 B 90 240 49 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-6 B 90 350 52 - 1 Inf. FoG 06 B 90 267 49 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-7 B 90 400 52 - 1 Inf. FoG 07 B 90 350 54 HP Dwn 1 Inf. FF-8 B 90 450 57 - 1 Inf. VB FW XX B 90 380 1000 - 1 Inf. Your Shock Troopers automatically equip the first flamethrower, the FF-1, once they reach Elite status. for free. Others you have to develop or capture. One thing I don’t know is whether you could equip the flamethrowers you capture by killing the enemy Aces if you WEREN’T Elite status. It wouldn’t be easy, at least for the VB FW 2(g) that my pal Fujmolt the Edge wields in Rosie’s Report, but I would think you could. If anybody knows for sure, please let me know. Anyway, here’s how you get them (please note that "Ex. Sk." stands for Expert Skirmish, which is available as downloadable content, or DLC): Flamer How? When? Development R&D cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FF-I Auto Elite Status FoG 01 R&D Ch. 8 (if Elite) Added Effect 1 10500 FF-2 R&D Ch. 8 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 1 10500 FoG 02 R&D Ch. 10 (if Elite) Added Effect 2 15400 FF-3 R&D Ch. 10 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 2 15400 FoG 03 R&D Ch. 11 (if Elite) Added Effect 3 21000 FF-4 R&D Ch. 11 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 3 21000 VB FW 1(g) Ace Chapter 11 VB FW 2(g) Ace Rosie's Rpt. FoG 04 R&D Ch. 14 (if Elite) Added Effect 4 27300 FF-5 R&D Ch. 14 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 4 27300 FoG 05 R&D Ch. 15 (if Elite) Added Effect S 34300 FF-6 R&D Ch. 15 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 5 34300 FoG 06 R&D Ch. 16 (if Elite) Added Effect 6 41900 FF-7 R&D Ch. 16 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 6 41900 FoG 07 R&D Ch. 18 (if Elite) Added Effect 7 50100 FF-8 R&D Ch. 18 (if Elite) Firepower Boost 7 50100 VB FW XX Ace Ex. Sk. 9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [SNP] SNIPERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SNIPER RIFLES Your Snipers use Sniper Rifles. Throughout the game, a hit to the head of any infantry unit not in cover is nearly always a one-hit kill. Accordingly, Accuracy (Aim) and Range are the key statistics, in my opinion. If you look at the tables, you'll notice that you're going to go a long time before you can get a better Sniper Rifle, either from an enemy Ace or the Princess, than you can develop on your own. Early on, as mentioned above, your snipers have poor personal accuracy stats. That, combined with the poor Aim and Range stats of the early Sniper rifles, lead many folks to abandon snipers early on as useless, or save and reload the game repeatedly to try to make a shot. Don't do either. Spend early DCT on improving the range and accuracy of your sniper rifles, and your snipers will fairly quickly begin to shine. To make everything fit, I abbreviated “Brondel” as “Br’l” in some cases. Sniper Rifles really don’t have area effects, so I didn’t use a column for Area. Here are the Sniper Rifle statistics: Sniper R Aim Range vsPers vsArmor Efct Shots Ammo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GSR-1 C 1000 70 50 - 1 3 GSR-2 C 1000 75 55 - 1 3 GSR-3 C 1100 80 65 - 1 3 GSR-4 C 1100 85 65 - 1 3 ZM SG 1(g) D 450 152 55 - 1 3 GSR-10 B 1200 90 70 - 1 3 Br'l M101X C 700 80 60 Aim Dwn 1 3 Brondel M1 C 1000 100 72 - 1 3 ZM SG 2(g) D 500 155 70 - 1 3 GSR-11 B 1200 95 72 - 1 3 Br'l M102X C 700 82 62 Aim Dwn 1 3 Brondel M2 C 1000 105 75 - 1 3 GSR-1R C 1250 135 92 - 1 3 ZM SG 3(g) D 500 158 75 - 1 3 GSR-12 B 1200 100 74 - 1 3 Br'l M103X C 700 85 64 Aim Dwn 1 3 Brondel M3 C 1000 110 78 - 1 3 GSR-3R B 1500 140 94 - 1 3 ZM SG 4(g) D 700 161 86 - 1 3 GSR-20 A 1500 110 79 - 1 3 Br'l M110X C 1000 95 69 Aim Dwn 1 3 Br'l M10 C 1200 130 85 - 1 3 GSR-21 A 1500 115 81 - 1 3 Br'l M111X C 1000 99 71 Aim Dwn 1 3 Br'l M11 C 1200 135 88 - 1 3 GSR-10R B 1500 145 96 - 1 3 GSR-22 A 1500 120 83 - 1 3 Br'l M112X C 1000 102 73 Aim Dwn 1 3 Br'l M12 C 1200 140 91 - 1 3 GSR-20R A 1800 150 98 - 1 3 ZM SG 5(g) D 780 183 91 - 1 3 GSR-30 A 1800 130 86 - 1 3 Br'l M120X C 1200 115 76 Aim Dwn 1 3 Br'l M20 B 1500 160 95 - 1 3 GSR-30R A 1800 170 100 - 1 3 ZM SG 6(g) D 780 190 91 - 1 3 ATR-X1 E 780 70 800 - 1 3 ZM SG 7(g) D 780 215 95 - 1 3 ATR-X3 D 900 65 1000 - 1 3 As mentioned above, because you're going to be using your snipers to get one-hit headshot kills most of the time, Aim and Range are the big statistics - damage doesn't really matter all that much. Notice, then, that by investing in Accuracy, you can get the GSR-10 at Chapter 8. It has B Aim and 1200 Range. That's better Aim and essentially the same range as the first Sniper Rifle the Princess gives you (the GSR-1R, with C Aim and 1250 Range), and nearly as good as the second one (the GSR-2R, with B Aim and 1500 Range). Eventually, as with other weapons, the final Royal Sniper rifle is the best available, other than DLC weapons (and as a pure sniper rifle, better than those, too, in my opinion). Enemy Ace Sniper Rifles have massive damage, but horrible Aim, so what you develop is always better, in my opinion. There are also two Snipers you can capture in the DLC that are anti-armor; great for taking out turrets or tanks you have a shot at the radiator of; they're fun, so try them out. Here’s how you get the Sniper Rifles ("Ex. Sk." stands for Expert Skirmish, and "Edy Sk." stands for EdycDetachment Skirmish, both of which are available as DLC): Sniper R How? When? Development R&D cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GSR-1 Auto At Start GSR-2 R&D Ch. 3 Accuracy Boost 1 500 GSR-3 R&D Ch. 4 Accuracy Boost 2 2000 GSR-4 R&D Ch. 6 Accuracy Boost 3 4500 ZM SG 1(g) Ace Ch. 6 GSR-10 R&D Ch. 8 Accuracy Boost 4 8000 Br'l M101X R&D Ch. 8 Added Effect 4 8000 Brondel M1 R&D Ch. 8 Firepower Boost 4 8000 ZM SG 2(g) Ace Ch. 8(b) GSR-11 R&D Ch. 10 Accuracy Boost 5 12500 Br'l M102X R&D Ch. 10 Added Effect 5 12500 Brondel M2 R&D Ch. 10 Firepower Boost 5 12500 GSR-1R Award Ch.s 10-11 ZM SG 3(g) Ace Ch. 10(b) GSR-12 R&D Ch. 11 Accuracy Boost 6 18000 Br'l M103X R&D Ch. 11 Added Effect 6 18000 Brondel M3 R&D Ch. 11 Firepower Boost 6 18000 GSR-3R Award Ch.s 12-14 ZM SG 4(g) Ace Ch. 12 GSR-20 R&D Ch. 13 Accuracy Boost 7 24500 Br'l M110X R&D Ch. 13 Added Effect 7 24500 Br'l M10 R&D Ch. 13 Firepower Boost 7 24500 GSR-21 R&D Ch. 15 Accuracy Boost 8 32000 Br'l M111X R&D Ch. 15 Added Effect 8 32000 Br'l M11 R&D Ch. 15 Firepower Boost 8 32000 GSR-10R Award Ch. 15 GSR-22 R&D Ch. 16 Accuracy Boost 9 40500 Br'l M112X R&D Ch. 16 Added Effect 9 40500 Br'l M12 R&D Ch. 16 Firepower Boost 9 40500 GSR-20R Award Ch.s 16-17 ZM SG 5(g) Ace Ch. 16 GSR-30 R&D Ch. 18 Accuracy Boost 10 50000 Br'l M120X R&D Ch. 18 Added Effect 10 50000 Br'l M20 R&D Ch. 18 Firepower Boost 10 50000 GSR-30R Award Ch. 18 ZM SG 6(g) Ace Ex. Sk. 2&4 ATR-X1 Ace Ex. Sk. 6 ZM SG 7(g) Ace Edy Sk. 3 ATR-X3 Ace Edy Sk. 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [LNC] LANCERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LANCES Your Lancers use, you guessed it, Lances. Once your Lancers get to Elite status, you can research and develop “Mortar” type lances. As you can see from the table below, the Mortar-type lances (the Lancaar-SH series) do much less damage against armor than the anti-armor, but they do a lot more damage against infantry targets and they have an explosive area effect. You’ll notice that the mortars have a much greater range than a thrown grenade (200 vs. 90), but not quite as much as a rifle grenade (200 vs. 250). However, the Mortar lances do a lot more damage. You’ll find in many cases as the game progresses that whereas a grenade will not kill most enemies in one hit (enemy ShockT’s and Scouts have just a few too many HP), a Mortar usually will kill them. Because Lancer armor has Anti-blast properties, grenades and mortars aren’t a good choice to go after them with at any point. Mortars are very useful because they damage troops crouching behind sandbags and also can blow up the sandbags (or other barriers). They're great for attacking grouped ShockTs behind sandbags. Also, although they’re much worse against armor head on, a mortar hit to the radiator is still a one-hit kill on any tank. If you’re going to try that, you have to be a ways away, so that you can get the aiming arc to hit the radiator. In any event, the “Area” field here indicates that the mortar lances have an area effect, whereas the strictly anti-armor ones don’t. Consider having at least one of your available Lancers equipped with the mortar type; they can come in handy. To make everything fit, I abbreviated “Lancaar” as “Ln’r” and “Theimer” as “Th’r.” You’ll also notice that I put an asterisk by the Ammo. Lancers start with 3 Lances. Absent a Potential (like Mooch or Extra Shot, which give them one additional round the Phase it activates), Order (Resupply, which gives them 3 again), or being reloaded by an Engineer (which also reloads three rounds), Lancers will get one more round to fire the next Phase. Unless they're in a friendly base, in which case they'll have 3 again. Okay, enough of the pitch, here are the stats: Lance Aim Range vsPers vsArmor Area Shots Ammo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ln'r M1 D 600 120 850 X 1 3* Ln'r M2 D 600 125 900 X 1 3* Ln'r M3 D 600 130 950 X 1 3* Ln'r M4 D 600 150 1000 X 1 3* Th'r M01 D 600 150 1100 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM1 C 200 320 300 O 1 3* Th'r M02 D 600 155 1150 X 1 3* Ln'r M1R D 620 150 1000 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM2 C 200 340 325 O 1 3* Th'r M03 D 600 160 1200 X 1 3* Ln'r M3R C 620 200 1150 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM10 C 200 375 350 O 1 3* Th'r M10 D 600 190 1300 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM11 C 200 410 375 O 1 3* Th'r M11 D 600 195 1350 X 1 3* Th'r M01R C 620 225 1300 X 1 3* Th'r M10R C 620 250 1450 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM12 C 200 450 400 O 1 3* Th'r M12 D 600 195 1400 X 1 3* Ln'rSHM20 C 200 500 450 O 1 3* Th'r M20 D 600 225 1500 X 1 3* Th'r M20R C 650 300 1600 X 1 3* VB PL XX B 500 120 850 X 1 3* vB PL X3 B 700 120 1000 X 1 3* Lances are another weapon where the stuff you develop is generally equal to or better than what the Princess gives you early on. The only enemy Ace Lances are in the DLC, and the Princess doesn't give you any Mortar-type lances. So, you're going to want to invest in R&D for your Lances, particularly early. The final few anti-tank Lances that the Princess gives you are much better than what you can develop: Royal Lances are the only anti-tank Lances in the game with C Aim, which is much better than D, and they also deal more damage than the ones you can develop. The enemy Ace Lances, the VB PL XX and X3, available through the DLC, are the only Lances with B Aim, but note that you sacrifice a lot of damage. They're great for taking out turrets and tanks you can get behind. Here’s how you get the Lances (please note that "Ex. Sk." stands for Expert Skirmish, and "Edy Sk." stands for Edy Detachment Skirmish, both of which are available as downloadable content, or DLC): Lance How? When? Development R&D cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ln'r M1 Auto At Start Ln'r M2 R&D Ch. 3 Firepower Boost 1 700 Ln'r M3 R&D Ch. 5 Firepower Boost 2 2450 Ln'r M4 R&D Ch. 7 Firepower Boost 3 5110 Th'r M01 R&D Ch. 8 Firepower Boost 4 8600 Ln'rSHM1 R&D Ch. 10 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 5 12900 Th'r M02 R&D Ch. 10 Firepower Boost 5 12900 Ln'r M1R Award Ch.s 10-11 Ln'rSHM2 R&D Ch. 12 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 6 17900 Th'r M03 R&D Ch. 12 Firepower Boost 6 17900 Ln'r M3R Award Ch.s 12-14 Ln'rSHM10 R&D Ch. 14 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 7 23700 Th'r M10 R&D Ch. 14 Firepower Boost 7 23700 Ln'rSHM11 R&D Ch. 15 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 8 30200 Th'r M11 R&D Ch. 15 Firepower Boost 8 30200 Th'r M01R Award Ch. 15 Th'r M10R Award Ch.s 16-17 Ln'rSHM12 R&D Ch. 17 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 9 37300 Th'r M12 R&D Ch. 17 Firepower Boost 9 37300 Ln'rSHM20 R&D Ch. 18 (if Elite) Enhanced Mortar 10 45200 Th'r M20 R&D Ch. 18 Firepower Boost 10 45200 Th'r M20R Award Ch. 18 VB PL XX Ace Ex. Sk. 8 VB PLX3(g) Ace Edy Sk. 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [CLO] CLOSING REMARKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for now. I hope you found this guide useful. Thanks again to Busard for the information on the DLC weapons and correction, and to the folks on the Board who keep it going (y'all know who you are).